I thought I’d write a little year-end post to reflect on the past year and to share my plans for 2012.  For those of you who were expecting me to publish my regular “Books of [the year]” series, it won’t be happening this year.  I’ve decided to move my hosting away from GoDaddy (in order to protest their involvement with SOPA) and I will be redesigning my blog.  But I plan on bringing back the series at the end of 2012.

2011 was a crazy year.  I tried a whole bunch of new things and I met a lot of interesting people either by seeking them out or purely by happenstance (filmmakers, athletes, dancers, escorts, refugees, protesters, etc).  I value my interactions with other people over everything else.   It’s often more educational and more interesting to share and contribute with others.  And then you have to take the time to process those experiences.  This year, I met more people that I normally would not have met through my regular routines.. and it exposed me to issues and ideas that I never thought I’d have to consider before.  It opened my eyes and changed my prejudices… because we often think we know it all about a group or type of person, until we meet them and spend time with them and realize that we know nothing.

I took a few business risks and settled on what I knew best instead of the unknown.  I worked my ass off and then realized that I needed more time for myself.  I put some projects aside (like Her Voice) and got rid of others (like OttawaFilm).  It left me wondering if it’s possible to achieve greatness if you don’t live and breathe your passion by working ALL of the time – and then it made me wonder if ‘greatness’ is overrated if it means sacrificing time to learn and to explore and to be quiet.

Financially, I kept investing in index funds and I don’t plan on changing that too much in 2012, though I may buy some stocks in the fall.  I did sign up for the Investment Funds in Canada course (as opposed to the CSC) in order to get my mutual funds license.  Since I don’t plan on ever working for a bank, the IFIC course is cheaper and will give me a greater understanding of the world of mutual funds.  Also, I’ll be tracking every penny in and every penny out.  That’s new for me as I only tend to track money that I’ve saved or spent on bills.  I’m sure it will make me less interested in buying a Starbucks latte every night. 

I also signed up for a university course in Commercial Law, just for fun.  Writing contracts is hard enough when you’re just starting out as a small business owner – it’s going to be very helpful to learn more about everything from contract writing, to tort, to employment law.

Next year, I’ll also be making a greater commitment towards my health and specifically, my nutrition.  I did a great job with exercising regularly in 2011.  That, plus my weekly physiotherapy sessions and bi-weekly massages, went a long way to making me feel more fit.  Now, the challenge will be to adopt a lifestyle that is less indulging when it comes to food.  I’ve decided to incorporate intermittent fasting as part of my routine for the next few months.  I’m giving it until March 1st and then we’ll see if I want to continue.  I’ll be trying out the weekly fast.  So a full 24 hours without eating (tea and water is fine).  I won’t be taking any other supplements (other than my regular multivitamin) since this isn’t necessary, even if it comes highly recommended in most IF plans.  My first day of fasting is TODAY.  So far, so good.  Green tea helps!

I want to blog more next year, too.  I think I’m finally going to setup a blogging schedule.  I have a million and one things I’ve been meaning to share with you but I never took the time to sit down and write.  With a new design, a new host and a regular schedule, this blog should be much more happening in 2012.  I hope you’ll join me in my new journeys and I look forward to hearing your feedback.  I’m thinking of launching a series of Challenges (health, finance, education, etc) so that will be fun. 

I wish you all a very happy New Year!!

This winter’s gonna be quieter than usual.  It has to be, I need time to think, time to plan.  Time to do things right.  I’m making plans for my 2011 projects.  I don’t usually plan that far ahead.  Sure, I tend to like to be organized and plan things like weekend outings or events.  But, an entire year ahead?  That’s not something I usually do.

But this time, it’s different.  I have more responsibilities.  I have more things to consider and they’re all driven by passion.  And when you’re doing the kinds of things that you’d only dreamed about when you were a kid, it just feels that much more important, you know?

But it’s hard.  It’s hard to know what to focus on.  I have a million interests: from insects, poetry, filmmaking, sculpting, drawing… and business.  I love managing a business!  And I love inventing and managing new projects too.  I just love not having to ask for permission to do something.  And I love that, with today’s technology, you can get your head start no matter where you live.

So what do I want to do next year?  I was going to start entering my art or photos in juried shows or contests or things like that.  But as much I want to do it because it’s scary, another part of me knows that it just doesn’t feel right.  My art is for me.  I don’t feel like pimping it out.  I don’t really feel like sharing it, either.  At least not now.  What I realize is that there are other creative things that I want to explore and that are equally scary.

It’s important to do stuff that scares you.  It’s equally important to try new things or to do them differently.  I learned a lot from a few lines spoken by the pianist Martha Argerich during an interview (she explains why her performances are so different from one to the next):

“I always doubt. I’m always groping. ‘Should I do this or that?’ So I try new things, in the same pieces, too. I try not to imitate myself. That’s dangerous. It’s a risk you run if you’re too pleased with what you’ve done, or you get into a routine, because you start to imitate yourself. And that’s the worst…I kind of go out on a limb sometimes, so it doesn’t happen to me.”

As someone who often likes the security and comfort of what I know, whether it be my apartment or the city I live in or what I eat for breakfast every single day, I also know that I need to make preparations to venture out into the world before I grow old or sick or weary.  And that includes leaving Ottawa eventually…

So, what’s in the works for the new year?  I’m thinking of buying a Mac.  I love video editing.  And I do want to explore filmmaking a lot more.  But it’s the editing that I love the most.  So it makes sense.  Save up for a Mac, get Final Cut Pro, get an editing wheel.  Get started.  And it’s an avenue that I could also explore with Silly Robot.

I really want to learn more Portuguese.

I want to go to New York city.

I want to find the perfect cabin to escape to in the summertime; somewhere near Ottawa for a change!

Yeah.  I’m gonna edit videos next year and see where that takes me.  I’ve already found sites with free stock footage, stuff to fool around with.  And there’s all those claymation videos to explore too!

In a way, it feels like I’m finally starting a new chapter.  I’m leaving behind the girl who worked a day job.  Because that’s all I really did.  And in the end, that’s really not me at all.  Planning for a year ahead of me feels less foreign than settling down and letting go of the things I’ve always wanted to do.  Just can’t do it.

How about you?  Got any interesting plans for the new year?